Play in the Rain

Sitting under the gazebo one morning as the clouds roll in and the thunder can be heard from a far. The hot summer days almost to much to bare, hoping for rain to soften the heat. We hear it start to sprinkle on the tin roof and smile, for it is bring a much need relief to the land. I look over and ask the old sage "why do people run in out of the rain when it is a blessing nature has gave us?". He simple replied with a smile as always "it is old programming that we have yet to get rid of." At this point I began to think as I watched our friends run in and out of the gazebo to the house.

As a child I loved to be out in the storms; I could feel them before they came. I thought everyone could feel them. I played in the rain and thunder, but when my grandmother saw me out there she would yell "get back in the house, you will catch cold!". Our parents were taught by their parents and so on, about the danger of the weather. This is because back in history the flu took thousands of lives and was believed that the rain had something to do with. When we are children we are programmed to stay out of the weather, no matter what kind, if it is not a sunny day we might get sick. We take this programming with us as adults. So we run in out of the rain to stay well.

That day under the gazebo I stepped out into the rain and stood there. The rain felt so wonderful running down my face and body, washing away the sweat and negativity of the day. It was so prefect standing there, it felt like just me and rain were one. It occurred to me in that moment that we forget to let the nature truly be apart of our lives. We are in a nature religion yet we still tend to be removed from it. Why do we let ourselves be removed from the very thing that we say all the time is a part of us? As we grow as religion let us not forget to step out the door into the nature no matter the weather and feel a part of nature.

Just My Thoughts

Amanda Hanks

Gazing at the stars

When we look up at the starry night sky, what do we see? Is it the the moon, stars, the constellations, the plants? Or is it something beyond? When I look up to the stars I do not see the constellations but other galaxies, other worlds different from ours. There is so much out there we do not know about. It is just like looking at ourselves from a far. All the experiences that we have had are lights in the dark just as the stars dot the sky. The dark of night is those things that we either do not wish to face or do not know we have them to have to face.
Why do we fear this things? The dark with in? we have been taught though society to be 90% negative. So anything that is not proper to society is something to be feared. As children we are taught that there are monsters in the dark of night, and to be careful what lurks where we can not see. When we become adults this fear of the dark night sticks with us. This is in both the physical and mental stats. Look in to the dark, what do we see? The dark is all those fears we have made for ourselves over our live time. They hold us back and hold us down; not allowing us to move on in our journey to find truth in our life.
Step out in to the night, face the darkness with in, and see the strength we have had all along! I see the stars and smile knowing that each day I see more and more. The night is a happy and calm place to look and see there is more then just us. The night reminds us to never fear the unknown, because the unknown is all around us. The only thing to fear is fear itself!
Just My Thoughts
Amanda Hanks